The problem of interpretation and valorization of the interior of the City Café in Zagreb

Cvetko, Doris. (2018). The problem of interpretation and valorization of the interior of the City Café in Zagreb. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Art History. [mentor Špikić, Marko].

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Abstract

The dissertation analyses changes and interventions in the interior of the typical coffeehouses in Zagreb from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. The emphasis is put on the interior of the City Coffeehouse in Zagreb, work of the architect Ignjat Fischer, and the redesigns that were performed from the opening in the 1931 till today. The aim of the dissertation is to open the question of the change in perception and significance of the valuable coffeehouses in Zagreb, throughout the 20th century and in the present, on the example of the City Coffeehouse by Ignjat Fischer. The paper highlights the problem of the disappearance of coffeehouses and characteristic interior design affected by the redesign, transformation and modernization. The focus of the discussion implies how we protect our heritage, in this example the interior design and architecture of the City Coffeehouse which has changed its appearance on several occasions and, at last, has changed its name. All those events have raised the question of valorization and interpretation of this kind of cultural heritage. The principal issues are referring to the dilemma whether we should make a better effort and protect spaces such as the interior of the City Coffeehouse, whether the modernization of their space contributes to the preservation or loss, what the changes mean and how do they reflect on the identity of the coffeehouses and what is their reception in the society. Moreover, through the prism of deleting the recognizable interior of the City Coffeehouse, built in the sensitive tissue of the main city square, attention is shifted toward the gradual disappearance of the culture of the coffeehouses. To conclude, this work aims to emphasize the importance of preserving these ambiences as witnesses of the moment in the past and raises the question of the role of such spaces today.

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